Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France, was sentenced to five years in prison over a plot to fund his election bid with help from the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to taking millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. The Paris criminal court acquitted him of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing.

Sarkozy has been handed a five-year prison sentence after trial over finances from late Libyan leader Gaddafi.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy faces legal troubles over claims of Libyan money in his 2007 campaign. The court cleared him of direct corruption, but some close allies were convicted. Brunis name appears in the case as she faces a charge linked to witness tampering.

As the shock of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's conviction over attempts to raise campaign funds from Libya subsides, the next big question is where he will be jailed.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy involving campaign fund raising from Libya. Despite the guilty verdict, he maintains his innocence,

The Sarkozy-Gaddafi saga began in almost theatrical circumstances.